A place where shoes don't matter and where you are free to be the best you can be.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Leek, potato and bacon soup

I'm a big fan of soup.

Not all soup, though.

But I love this soup.

It's leek, potato and bacon soup.

I served this to visitors on the weekend.

First, I made my stock.

(I don't always make my own stock, sometimes I use the 1 litre containers of prepared stuff)

I keep scraps of vegies in the freezer in a zip-lock bag - things like celery leaves and the skinny stems, root vegetable peelings and ends, ends of onions, basically, whatever is going at the time.

That way, whenever I want to make vegetable stock, it's ready to go.

I also found a chicken frame leftover from a bag that I bought for the dogs.

I simmer the stock and some mixed herbs in a litre or two of water for a couple of hours, depending on my needs and how many scraps I have to use.

I drain it into another pot and give the scraps to the chickens to eat.

While the stock is simmering I cut up my soup ingredients.

I use the white part of the leek (and the green bits go into the washed zip-lock bag for the next lot of stock) and cut it into sections about an inch thick then rinse it in the colander to get the dirt out.

I chop up the potatoes as if I'm making mashed potato.

Then I roughly chop up the bacon.

This time I only had about 5 rashers of bacon to work with.

I add a wee bit of olive oil to the pan and cook over a low heat until the bacon has started to cook and everything else has that lovely 'glow' about it when it's covered in oil.

Once the leek has started to soften, I add the stock back into the pot and simmer for the rest of the day.

Sometimes I leave it for 4 hours, sometimes more.

It all depends on how much I'm making and when I want it ready for dinner.

I usually try to reduce the soup by a quarter at least.

Then, when all of the potatoes have softened completely, I turn the stove off and use a blender to blend it all up.

I don't own a blender thingy with the jug, I use a stick blender; it takes a bit longer to do and not all of the bits of potato end up being smooshed, but that's okay.

Once it's all blended I return it to the heat and simmer for another half hour or so and add a cup or two of milk and stir just before serving.

Add heaps of salt and pepper, crusty bread and butter and voila - dinner is served.

Usually I get enough out of a pot to have a couple of extra days worth of meals to freeze, but this time everyone went back for seconds (or in one person's case, thirds) and there was nothing left.

Hi, I have planted leeks too, but they are still too small to use. One day though...

I also love pea and ham soup - it's my favourite, especially the way my dad used to make it with chunky bits of ham and bacon bones in it. I blend all mine because I worry the kids will choke on the bones but I've started leaving some of the bones in and so far they're still alive.

The Barefoot Bride

Welcome to my blog.

I am on a journey to find a more simpler life for me and my family. I want to make the world a better place for my children and share with them what I know. I want a more 'back to basics' life for us, and hope that you will share your experiences on a simpler life too.

About Me

I am a wife, mother, woman and casual teacher. I enjoy the freedom wearing no shoes gives me and believes it sums up how I want my life to be right now - relaxed and casual. Actually, in the tropics, you'd be mad to want to wear shoes all of the time!